Osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease, has been called "a pediatric disease with a geriatric outcome," because bone mass gained or lost during childhood and adolescence greatly determines lifelong bone health. Youth is the best time to invest in your child's bones through nutrition and physical activity.

Nutrition for healthy bones means eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. If your kids are lactose intolerant or just don't like drinking milk, don't despair. They can receive calcium from foods such as kale, bok choy, broccoli and almonds, or from calcium-fortified orange juice, cereals, or breads. read more

We've heard of chicken soup for the soul, but for the nose? It's true, according to family doctor Don Colbert. "Chicken soup can help a cold or flu," he writes in The Bible Cure for Colds, Flu and Sinus Infections. "Hot chicken soup will actually help increase the flow of mucus and help clear out your sinuses."

Hot herbal teas and vegetable broths are also good for nasal congestion, Colbert says. But he advises that some foods can result in a buildup of mucus and should be avoided during a head cold or sinus infection. These include cold drinks, frozen treats, eggs, chocolate and food additives. read more

Why? It's one of the most effective anti-cancer foods you can buy! Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine discovered that broccoli contains a natural compound that helps the body fight cancer by causing it to produce protective enzymes. These enzymes detoxify the carcinogens that could potentially lead to cell mutations. If you want to get the highest concentration of the compound, choose young broccoli sprouts--and the fresher, the better. read more

Reginald B. Cherry, M.D. claims that nutritional supplements can provide optimal health benefits "only if they consist of nutrients in their most complete, natural and bioavailable forms." A case in point is vitamin E. Generally sold in its isolated, alphatocopherol form, vitamin E is actually a family of nutrients consisting of four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta), Cherry says. He recommends that the various forms of vitamin E be taken together because they work as an antioxidant team to give maximum protection against disease. read more

In his recent book, The Jerusalem Diet (WaterBrook), pastor Ted Haggard cites a CBS News report on the link between obesity and sleep deprivation. The report was based on an article in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and explained that sleep affects the body's production of hormones, including leptin, which helps control appetite.

Leptin levels rise when we sleep, telling the brain that the body has stored up enough food. "If you deprive your body of sleep," Haggard warns, "you may develop a shortage of this hormone. And...your body may start asking for food it doesn't really need." read more

According to medical doctor Don Colbert, a recent study shows that chocolate--the dark variety, that is--can be good for you. Dark chocolate, Colbert says, contains high levels of flavonoids, an antioxidant that protects the heart and blood vessels from the damaging stress of free radicals. This beloved treat can actually increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood by about 20 percent! Colbert recommends restraint, however, because the high sugar content of most chocolate candy causes more health problems than chocolate can protect you from. So if you get chocolate, get only the dark--and eat it only in moderation. read more
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That many of our modern-day medicines are derived from herbs? That's because "herbal plants are time-tested and approved sources of healing," writes nutritionist and women's health specialist Janet Maccaro in her book, Natural Health Remedies: An A-Z Family Guide. Though some Americans are still skeptical, Europeans have used herbs as medicines for centuries. So the next time you're ill, consider asking your doctor for an herbal alternative to the medicine he prescribes. It may provide the same benefit without the negative side effects! read more

In his book Hope, Help and Healing for Eating Disorders (Shaw, 2002), Christian psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D., offers a body-mind-spirit approach to healing from eating disorders.

Jantz advocates proper nutrition as an important and often overlooked aspect of treatment for eating disorders. His nutrition-based rehabilitation program starts with nutrients that support the body systems most compromised by an eating disorder and works toward restoration of a person's complete nutritional health.

As a person recovering from an eating disorder works toward making healthy eating choices, Jantz offers the following guidelines, which he has adapted from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: read more